Fire damages home on Gale Avenue; faulty wiring is likely cause

PEORIA — Faulty electrical wiring was the likely cause of a Friday morning fire that damaged the attic of a single-family home.

Firefighters responded to 2119 N. Gale Ave. shortly before 8:50 a.m. and found heavy smoke pouring from the front and rear of the home’s attic. Additional firefighters were called immediately.

A man was asleep in an upstairs bedroom when his room air conditioner stopped working. He smelled smoke and alerted other family members. Two adults and three children safely left the small wood frame house. No one, including firefighters, was injured.

Twenty-one firefighters were at the scene and had the fire under control at 9:20 a.m., said Battalion Chief Jerry Malone.

Malone said that fire damage was mostly contained to the attic area, but that the entire house sustained smoke and water damage. Damage was estimated at $70,000.